John E. McCosker

Last updated
John E. McCosker
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
OccupationSenior Scientist
Years active1967–present

John Edward McCosker is an American ichthyologist and as has been part of expeditions to many countries such as Antarctic, Australia, and the Galapagos. After extensive study and ten expeditions he is one of the foremost experts on the Galapagos. He has been featured in various different television documentaries as well as working with filmmakers and other documentary programs off screen.

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McCosker earned his BA degree from the Occidental College (Los Angeles) in 1967. He attended the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1973 where McCosker gained his PhD degree. Currently he is a senior scientist at the California Academy of Sciences based in San Francisco. He joined the academy in 1973 as superintendent within the Steinhart Aquarium. Between 1976 and 1994 he was the director. From 1988 to 1989, and again in 1995, he was the Interim Executive Director for the Academy.

The generic name of the blenny Mccoskerichthys sandae honours McCosker, because he discovered it and assisted in the collection of the type while its specific name honours his then wife, Sandra. [1]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987 Jaws: The Revenge N/AThanks / Miscellaneous Crew
1996 Galapagos: Beyond Darwin SelfTV movie documentary
1996 The World's Most Dangerous Animals SelfTV movie documentary
1999 Galapagos: The Enchanted Voyage SelfDocumentary short
1999 Island of the Sharks AdvisorDocumentary short
2003 MythBusters Self
2005 Naked Science Himself
2005 In the Wake of the Zaca Special ThanksVideo documentary

Dr. McCosker also appeared on The Tonight Show, starring Johnny Carson on July 12, 1984. Other guests on the episode were Miss Piggy and Howie Mandel.

Taxon described by him

Taxon named in his honor

Related Research Articles

<i>Ogilbia</i> Genus of fishes

Ogilbia is a genus of viviparous brotulas. The generic name honours the Australian naturalist James Douglas Ogilby (1853-1925), for his contribution to the knowledge of the fishes of Australia.

Coloconger cadenati is an eel in the family Colocongridae. It was described by Robert H. Kanazawa in 1961. It is a marine, deep-water dwelling eel which is known from Senegal to the Gulf of Guinea in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known from a depth range of 270–600 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 90 cm. The diet of C. cadenati consists primarily of benthic crustaceans.

Ariosoma bauchotae is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Christine Karrer in 1983. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from waters northwest of Madagascar, in the western Indian Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 308–314 metres.

The Gilbert's garden eel, also known as the Gilbert's conger and the sharpnose conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1898, originally under the genus Congrellus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia. It is a benthic and nocturnal species, and inhabits sand flats in reefs, bays and coves at a depth range of 1–100 metres. It burrows into sand during the day and emerges to forage during the night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres.

Ariosoma meeki is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder in 1900, originally under the genus Congrellus. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from Japan and the Peng-hu Islands, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Males are known to reach a maximum total length of 53 centimetres.

The tropical conger, also known as the Scheele's conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Pehr Hugo Strömman in 1896, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Natal and Mozambique. It inhabits reefs in lagoons, and is known to dwell at a depth of 9 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in).

Ariosoma sereti is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Emma Stanislavovna Karmovskaya in 2004. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Marquesas Islands, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 95–370 metres. Females can reach a maximum total length of 26.5 centimetres.

The Bullish conger is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by David G. Smith and Robert H. Kanazawa in 1977, originally under the genus Rhechias. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Gulf of Mexico to the Amazon, in the western Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 366–475 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 39.5 centimeters.

Gnathophis grahami, or Graham's conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Emma Stanislavovna Karmovskaya and John Richard Paxton in 2000. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from New South Wales, Australia, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 50–350 metres.

Neenchelys daedalus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1982. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean, including Papua New Guinea and Japan.

The McCosker's worm eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Yusuke Hibino, Ho Hsuan-Ching, and Seishi Kimura in 2012. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the northwestern Pacific Ocean, including Taiwan and Japan. It dwells at a depth range of 100 to 400 metres, and leads a benthic lifestyle; it is collected by bottom trawlers. Males can reach a maximum total length of 52.2 centimetres (20.6 in).

Cirricaecula macdowelli is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and John Ernest Randall in 1993. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from Taiwan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 22.8 centimetres.

Lamnostoma taylori is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1923, originally under the genus Caecula. It is a tropical, freshwater eel which is known from the Philippines in Asia, where it inhabits rivers near the sea. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 16.4 centimetres (6.5 in).

Ophichthus alleni is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel known from Australia, in the western Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 115 to 200 m. Females can reach a maximum total length of 76 cm (30 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napoleon snake eel</span> Species of fish

The Napoleon snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Poecilocephalus. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Durban, South Africa, Mauritius, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and the Penghu Islands. It is known to dwell at a depth of 20 metres (66 ft), and inhabits lagoons and reefs; it forms solitary burrows in sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 75 centimetres (30 in).

Ophichthus genie is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1999. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including New Caledonia and Maldives. It dwells at a depth range of 430 to 500 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 33.7 centimetres (13.3 in).

Ophichthus humanni is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from Vanuatu, in the western Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 254 to 300 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 66.9 centimetres (26.3 in).

Ophichthus machidai is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker, S. Ide, and Hiromitsu Endo in 2012.

Ophichthus tomioi is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, the Seychelles Islands, Marquesas, and Fiji. It dwells at a depth range of 300 to 423 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 44.7 centimetres (17.6 in).

Pisodonophis copelandi is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1953. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Philippines, in the western central Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 30.8 centimetres (12.1 in).

References

  1. Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (10 November 2018). "Order BLENNIIFORMES: Families CLINIDAE, LABRISOMIDAE and CHAENOPSIDAE". ETYFish Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  2. Common names of Neenchelys mccoskeri at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Neenchelys mccoskeri at www.fishbase.org.